Quick & Easy Dinner (That Tastes Like You Worked Really Hard at It!)

Well, school has started back up again.  Why on God's green earth did I think we might not be as busy as we were all fall?  That was crazy talk, that's for sure.

Well, I really want to be a good blogger and write posts and visit my friends, but time is definitely an issue.  So, how can I tie all these together?  Why make a quick delicious super tasty (why some might even call it YUMPTIOUS, but you know I wouldn't - tongue firmly in cheek) dinner that even Martha would be proud of.  (And I'm just sayin' Martha just might be proud of it since I got it from her website - HA)

Well, are you ready? Get your recipe cards out....

Nothing like a little asparagus bouquet!  

Hoisin-Lime Salmon with Asparagus Couscous

Salmon first...

2 Tbl hoisin sauce (pretty easy to find in your grocery store Asian section)
2 tsp honey
4 salmon fillets (about 6 ounces each), about 1 1/2" thick
1/2 lime, plus several wedges for garnish
1 scallion (green onion), thinly sliced
salt & pepper

1.  Preheat broiler.  Stir together the hoisin and honey, set aside.

2.  Spray a baking sheet or broiler pan (I prefer the broiler pan myself.) with cooking spray.  Place the salmon skin side down on the pan.  Squeeze the juice from the 1/2 lime over the salmon and then season with salt and pepper.  Put under the broiler and cook for 5 minutes.  Take the salmon out and then drizzle the hoisin/honey mixture over each salmon piece.  Return to the broiler and cook until the glaze is bubbling and salmon is cooked through, about 2-3 minutes more.  Divide the asparagus couscous (see recipe below) among 4 plates.  Put the cooked salmon on the couscous and garnish with the green onion and lime wedges.  Serve immediately to the raves and compliments of your family.  Really.

Asparagus Couscous
1 cup couscous
Zest of 1/2 lime
2 tsp vegetable oil (canola is my favorite)
1 tsp coarse salt
8 ounces asparagus, sliced 1/4 inch thick on the bias
2 cups water

1.  Place couscous, lime zest, and oil in a medium, heatproof bowl.  Toss to combine and set aside.

2.  Bring 2 cups water to a boil.  Add salt and asparagus, cooking for 2 minutes.  Pour over couscous and cover tightly with plastic wrap.

Let stand for 5 minutes. 

 (DON'T OPEN - ALL THE MAGIC WILL DISAPPEAR IF YOU DON'T LEAVE IT ALONE FOR 5 MINUTES - really.)  Uncover and fluff the couscous with a fork.

Now here's how Martha's looks:

And here's mine:

And can I just say that Martha's salmon dish looks a bit better than mine, but let's call it like it is - my Susan Branch Johnson Brothers Rose Chintz plate blows Martha's plate out of the water!  

Let me know if you try it.  I'd love to know if you love it like us Sweet Bees do.

Bee sure to buzz by me giveaway too for some Mary Engelbreit treats.  I've got another giveaway I'm getting ready for now too.  (It's a V_NT_G_  giveaway!)

Oh, and if you call ahead, we'll have one extra dish from tonight's dinner.... could be yours! (Or more likely the Sweet Bees will be fighting over who gets to take it to work for lunch tomorrow!)

Thanks for buzzing by!

  

Worker Bee!                                                                                                        Quit buzzing around MY leftovers!                                                                Gotta' go save my lunch for tomorrow!

A Pair of Pinterest Dinners

What did I do before Pinterest?

I had websites bookmarked, didn't have these organized, and rarely could find what had originally inspired me.

But now..........Pinterest Bliss!  

I definitely have a case of this!

(and I'm a poet and didn't know it)

Recently I posted on a dinner inspired by Pinterest and casually mentioned (you know I casually mention these things in public so I will follow through - do you do that too?) I was going to be tackling a couple of other Pinterest recipes.

Over the past few days I made them!  

First up is Chicken Parmesan Burgers!

from Annie Eats (the recipe, not the picture)

YUMMY!  Baby Bee and Worker Bee really liked this one.  

Couple things I learned is that a chicken burger will shrink up just like a beef burger.  (True confession - my burgers almost looked like meatballs instead of nice disc shaped burgers.)

Also, use plenty of the pasta sauce.  It adds just the right flavor, along with the cheese, to tie this all together.  

I might try this with pesto the next time too.

Thanks Annie Eats!  (my original source of inspiration)

Next up is a recipe from that same lady who came up with my cool vintage style coffee canister! Let me think now........what is her name...........I know I've heard it before.............oh yes!  It's from Martha Stewart!  You might have heard of her too.

Sewing Bee and all of us Bees have dinner together every Sunday night and I usually try to make something special.

This Sunday's dinner was Bacon-Wrapped Chicken Tenders.  

Just 4 simple ingredients - chicken tenders, bacon, sage leaves, and olive oil.

I roasted some potatoes and asparagus to enjoy too. 

(Did you notice I used my Susan Branch plates???)

Thank you Martha!

Well.....what are you going to do or try from Pinterest?

A recipe or a project???

Do let me in on the buzz!

Thanks so much for stopping in for a visit!

Such a delight to see you!

A Pinterest Dinner

I love to try new recipes!

So, I went over to my Yumptious board on Pinterest and found a couple of interesting recipes to try.

The weather has finally cleared up and the sun shined most of the day today.  

It feels like spring again. 

Yeah!  

So we needed something inspired by spring.

I always like to have a nice dinner when Sewing Bee comes over on Sunday nights.  But I wanted something easy too.

Voila!

Baby Bee and I made Spinach, Asparagus, and Feta Quiche!

Here's how ours looked.....

You can see the original recipe here.  It was soooo good. 

We also had sliced strawberries with sugar and balsamic vinegar!  Yummmy!

We don't usually do much for dessert but I had some marscapone cheese I needed to use before it went bad and I remember seeing a recipe for a tiramasu bundt cake over on my - yep, you guessed it - Yumptious board.

I have to confess, baking cakes from scratch has never been my forte, but I gave it a shot and.......

this is how mine turned out.  (I think my oven is hotter than it says!  I need to get an oven thermometer and check it out.)

Tasted delicious (if slightly overdone) but not nearly as pretty as the original one here.

But if I was a betting bee, I bet you'd still like to try mine even if it didn't turn out as lovely as its inspiration.  

Am I right????  

What have you made from Pinterest?  

Wanna' just come over here for dinner and I'll cook YOU something from Pinterest instead?

Thanks for buzzing by!

P.S.  And later this week we're trying this pin and this pin.  I wasn't kidding about LOVING to try

new recipes. 

You're Invited for Grilled Italian Kabobs

Did that get your attention?  Who doesn't love Italian?  How about pizza sauce?  And grilling? I know those are all some of my favorites.

Well, I pulled out an oldie but a goody (it's from a cookbook out of print - Smart Cook by Betty Crocker and it was a wedding shower gift 21 years ago - I used it extensively when Worker Bee and I were first married but it has been gathering dust for several years and for some reason I've pulled it out and started using it again - wow - that was a lot of background information) called Grilled Italian Kabobs.

We are trying to eat healthier so I made a few modifications to the recipe - easy ones.  To make this healthier I used chicken Italian sausage (also used less meat than the recipe called for) and I added a lot more veggies than the recipe called for.  Plus - BONUS - most of the veggies were from our kitchen garden.  And BONUS #2 - Baby Bee and Worker Bee ate their veggies with little complaint!

Ingredients:

12 oz. - 16 oz. package of turkey or chicken Italian sausage (mine was from Trader Joe's)

1/2 cup pizza sauce (again, mine was from Trader Joe's)

1 Tbl of olive oil

1 Tbl of dried basil or 3 Tbl of fresh basil shredded

Assorted veggies of your choice - I used mushrooms, yellow squash, zucchini, grape tomatoes, and red onions

Please note the food safety - fruits and veggies on the wood board, meats on the plastic board that goes in the dishwasher.  Yeah, I know you're proud of me.  

1.  Mix the pizza sauce, olive oil, and basil together.  You will use this to baste the kabobs as they cook on the grill.

2.  Cut up your sausage in about 1" chunks.

3.  Cut up your veggies into about 1" chunks.

4.  Assemble them on the skewers in any order you want.  

5.  Grill covered on a medium hot grill for 20-25 minutes.  Baste the kabobs with the pizza sauce mixture 2-3 times during the grilling time.

We used a vegetable grilling tray in case any little grape tomatoes fell off the skewers.  (oh my stars we ADORE those grape tomatoes - even Worker Bee does and he is not a fan of tomatoes)

Love how they're all lined up and ready to report for duty - on the grill!

There were so many veggies on those skewers I just served them and an Italian dinner roll that we dunked in olive oil sprinkled with fresh ground pepper.

And

since I practically invited you for dinner

I set the table for you too...

I used my oilcloth placemats (from Crate & Barrel a few years back), our everyday dishes (from Pottery Barn a few years back), my favorite red flatware (from Target a few years back), and blue plaid napkins (from Kmart a few years back).   Yep, it's all from a few years back!

To dress it up for you just a little bit I took my cheapo candles and wrapped some paper doilies around them and then tied them up with some different colors of baker's twine.  Very simple but it adds just a little special something to show how special your visits are.  (Of course, Worker Bee and Baby Bee said why don't WE get this special treatment.  Ungrateful wretches.)

Gratuitous candle shot.

Another gratuitous shot of candle - can't help it.  I like how they turned out with minimal, er, I mean great effort.

Will you join me for dinner?

I've got a nice glass of iced tea waiting for you.

Oh and we're going to make S'mores over the dying coals of the grill.  

Well, even if you can't stay this time, please know that you can pull up a chair any old time.  You are always welcome to drop in on Sweet Bee Cottage.

With honey,

Oh, and don't forget to enter my giveaway!

Just leave a comment on that post by clicking here for your chance to win.

Icy Pink Deliciousness

I just love Susan Branch!  Raise your hand if you agree?  

Okay, I see all those hands.  (And if you're not sure who Susan Branch is, head on over here to meet her.)

Susan has some wonderful recipes in her books.  This particular one is from The Summer Book.

One of our summer favorites is a cocktail called "Skip and Go Naked."  The skip because it's so tasty and you want to skip around and the go naked because if you're not careful and have too many of these, you might start running round naked.  

The ingredient list is simple:

pink lemonade frozen lemonade

vodka

beer

ice

Now I know some of you might be saying beer?  I don't like beer!  Well, I can't stand the stuff, but mixed in this drink?  It's absolutely scrumptious.  Trust me (and trust Susan too).

Plus you will need a blender.

1.  Fill the blender half way with ice.

2.  Add 2/3 cup frozen lemonade concentrate.

3.  Add 1/4 cup of vodka.

4.  Add 2/3 cup of cold beer.

5.  Blend together and pour into a glass - pretty glass preferred of course.

Icy pink deliciousness!

One for me and one for you.

Let's go enjoy these on the patio.  We could listen to some nice music and pray the June bugs don't crash into us.  (Thankfully, June bugs are almost done around these parts.)

And, at last, I have a fun post for Pink Saturday!

Come join the party over at Beverly's.

Such a treat to see you too!  

Thank you so much for dropping in for a visit.

I'm on a Berry Delicious Roll!

I just can't stop!  

Now I've gone and made strawberry syrup!  

(I know!  When will the madness end?)

Just like the boysenberry syrup, I took 

2 cups of water, 

2 cups of sugar 

(Oh!  Rats!  I should have used my turbinado sugar!  I didn't think! That probably would have been even BETTER!)

and

a pint of stemmed and washed strawberries......

Just bring to a boil, reduce the heat and let simmer until slightly thickened.

Then strain and cool.

Put in a pretty jar - especially one with a red lid - continue to let cool and then refrigerate for up to 30 days.

(Okay, you've caught me - it doesn't HAVE to go in a pretty jar, but doesn't that make it more fun?)

What am I going to do with all my berry syrups?  

Well, I could.....

1.  Pour it over ice cream.

2.  Add it to lemonade.

3.  Make Italian sodas with sparkling water or club soda.

4.  Make Italian cream sodas (add half and half to the above "recipe").

5.  Make strawberry margaritas or....maybe.....martinis.

6.  Pour over pancakes or French toast or waffles.

Do you have any ideas?

I'll make you a batch!

Oh my!  I also noticed I'm very close to 500 followers, so a giveaway must not be far behind!  Come back for details once that follower odometer rolls over to 500!  

Just a gratuitous strawberry shot 'cause I think they look pretty in my blue bowl!

And thank you very much for your visits and for choosing to follow!  

I most definitely appreciate it!

Now how can I resist joining this sweet party?

Please go check out some reds for Rednesday over at Sue's!

And, lest I forget,

Happy Father's Day

Worker Bee!

Thank you for being such a wonderful father to our dear sweet Baby Bee!

But, can I just ask this publicly?  

Why did you get her hooked on Archie comics?